ABCOPAD Life! Blog

2016 Abington Association

This fall the Abington Association meeting was hosted by United Baptist in Taylor, PA - a little outside of Scranton. It was a wonderfully inspiring time. A complete album of pictures is available HERE.

Operation Christmas Child

2016 Catalyst

Many of our ABCOPAD Pastors have gathered together near Lancaster, PA to attend the one day Catalyst Event for church leaders. The primary speakers were Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. A few of us attended the event last year and were inspired. This year we encouraged a bunch of our pastoral leaders to join us for this inspiring time.

The Praise team was incredible, offering time for everyone to simply spend time in God's presence. The speakers were excellent. The ABCOPAD leaders also had opportunity to gathered together to spend time with one another and reflect on the morning's teaching. It was an exciting day!

Disaster Relief -- Connellsville, PA

An incredible effort by volunteers in Connellsville, PA. The American Baptist Women's Ministries of Pennsylvania and Delaware is partnering with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to help home owners restore their homes and get back on their feet. The Monongahela Baptist Association is providing food and housing for the volunteers. What a witness!

Lower Providence Installation Service

Lower Providence Baptist Church conducted an Installation Service for Rev. Charles Guy Coats as their new pastor! According to the church leadership, Pastor "CG" is the 36th pastor in the church's 205 year history! It was a service full of blessings and joys! CG and his wife Liz were overjoyed. More photos HERE.

Discover ABCOPAD

The first Discover ABCOPAD event took place in Dover, Delaware, at the home of Gene and Thelma Schaller. The event was led by ABCOPAD Foundation Director of Development Sue MacDonald and ABCOPAD Regional Executive Pastor Frank Frischkorn.

The was our first Discover ABCOPAD event under Sue's leadership, designed to share the ABCOPAD ministry with partners in the Region. It was a very successful event with plenty of time for sharing and encouragement. Watch for a Discover ABCOPAD event coming to your area. [More photo HERE.]

Upper Merion Sunday

On Sunday, Jeff spent the day with the Upper Merion Baptist Church, just up the hill from our ABC Mission Center in Valley Forge. During the Sunday School hour, Jeff met with the congregation to talk about vision and direction of the congregation.

Pastor Alan Selig, the church's interim, served as the worship leader.

Florence Li, a member of the church and Director of Asian Ministries for the ABC Home Mission Societies, did the moment of missions focused on the World Mission Offering.

The choir provided special music. Jeff preached. Following an invitation at the end of the service where many in the church came forward to pray, light refreshments including a cake were served to show appreciation to Pastor Alan for his pastoral leadership of the church during their period of transition.

After the appreciation time, Jeff met with the search committee to talk further and more fully about vision and direction and its impact on their search for a new seated pastor.

All around the church, everywhere you look, there are 6:49 slips of paper. They indicate the double daily time of prayer for the church by the church wherever they might be, a prayer practice Jeff has taught many churches to use.

6:49 was chosen because it represents the church's founding date (1849) in military time, as seen in the cornerstone of their original building when they were located in the nearby downtown area of Bridgeport before moving to their present location in the 1960's bringing the cornerstone with them and embedding it into the foundation of the new building.

During the appreciation time after worship, Jeff met Sherry. She is a real big prayer warrior. So much so, she goes regularly to the Valley Forge Casino, down the road from the church, and makes her way around the gambling floor, wearing a big, visible badge offering to pray with anyone about anything. Many people take her up on the offer.